Issue 3 | February 2013
CONTENT 08
14
18
22
30
08
Game of Thrones
14
Educational YouTube
18
The Convention Survival Guide
22
Part-Time Picassos
30
Some Nerdfighters are Dicks...
04
What is a Nerdfighter?
05
Spotlight: Kelly Montoya
06
Thoughts From Places
07
Advice with Cecily
10
Which House is Yours?
12
Notable Novels
13
Please Subscribe Review
17
Puff Levels
20
Beginning Your Quest
21
Mythical Creatures Unmasked
24
Nerdy Sports
25
Decreasing Worldsuck
26
The 52nd Street Project
27
Political Situation Russia
28
She Robot (And So Can You!)
29
Learn to Robot?
32
Life in the Sky
33
Tractor Beams
34
Data to DNA
35
Lit Submissions
38
Art Submissions issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 03
Reader Submissions
Make-outs, Music, & Mostly Feelings Kelly Montoya, by her own description, is a queer nerd and professional hot guy. In the last year, she’s released two albums—one of covers and one of her own songs. She’s also filmed a music video for her song “Investment” and played a Secret Show at VidCon. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Aside from her own YouTube channel, she’s filmed two episodes of The Gay Handbook with fellow New Yorker, Caroline, and has generally been running around wreaking havoc and increasing awesome. Kelly graciously took some time to talk to us about what she’s working on. By Alyssa Nabors The Anglerfish: So when did you start vlogging and writing music seriously? Kelly Montoya: Well, I started writing music more seriously when I was fifteen, sixteen years old, but I didn’t put any of it on the internet until 2011. The first video on my channel was me covering a Julia Nunes song on New Year’s Day. And then I started doing it more regularly. I did a “Vlog Every Day In September” thing. That’s what really got it started, and then I started posting music to Soundcloud. It just kind of blew up from there!
TA: Was there a specific point where you started getting a lot of followers and subscribers? KM: It’s been going at a steady pace for a while now. Nothing exponential... But I think around last year, I hit around a thousand followers. Just before that happened, I knew things were getting pretty intense... It picked up pretty quickly, and it’s still rising, just not as intense. But yeah, around the time that I was posting a lot of content.
TA: How has having that following affected your work and what you post? So far, you’ve been really open to your followers! KM: [Laughing] Yeah, I have! It’s gotten to the point where I need to hold a lot back... I am still really open, regardless, but there are a lot of little lessons that I’ve learned. Like the next time I get into a [longterm] relationship, I’m not going to tell my audience about it until I know it’s going to be really serious. That’s probably the only thing I’d hold back... It’s definitely changed me; I’m not as carefree in that sense. I’m a bit more cautious.
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TA: But you’ve also gotten to have a lot of awesome experiences because of this internet fame! What’s the most crazy, awesome thing that’s happened to you so far? KM: Hands down, the Vidcon Secret Show was a really big thing for me. It was probably one of the biggest audience I’ve ever played... Whenever I’d look up I’d see people like Tom Milsom. Very surreal things like that. And the YouTubers I’ve gotten to know. Little things like have been cool. One of my best friends right now in the world is Frezned of all people. It’s stuff that I never would have imagined. I’ve gotten to open for a local singer/songwriter called Mal Blum. She’s been one of my role models in the queer community.
TA: So you’ve released your own album and made a music video. You’ve taken all these steps to further your music career, but you’ve also done your show with Caroline a couple times. Is being an advocate for LGBTQ teens also something you want to take further? KM: Oh, definitely! I’ve got a lot of plans for that. Caroline and I are going to get the show back up and running regularly within the next couple months, but this time we’re going to go BIG. We’re going to get our friends to help us out a little as far as editing and shooting with a nice camera... Caroline and I are super excited about that. Also, of the next three shows I have lined up, two of them are queer benefit shows for organizations. So I definitely want to make music and my passion for LGBTQ rights blend into the same thing. I’ve been lucky enough to run into a group of people—the DIY musicians, the feminists. It’s kind of like this perfect balance of LGBTQ awareness, feminism, and music.
Reader Submissions Photo courtesy of Colleen McAleer (colleenmcaleer.tumblr.com and flickr.com/photos/colleenmcaleer)
TA: What’s coming up with you in the near future? Some show, another album maybe? KM: Well, my friend Luke and I have been talking about this recently. Since I want to go to Vidcon again this year and I’m still not working regularly, we want to release a new album a little bit before June... This time, it’s going to have really old songs that I’ve only played live before and a handful of new songs that I’ve written since Mostly Feelings. It should be really interesting, that mix of old and new. I [also] worked [as an extra] on the set of Smash for couple weeks, and now I’m on Blue Bloods. So hopefully I’m going to keep doing that, building it up from there, and hopefully I’ll get something else!
WHAT IS
A NERDFIGHTER? In the wake of the most recent episode of Becoming Youtube--discussing communities, fandoms, and Nerdfighteria in particular-- there has been much discussion about what it means to be a Nerdfighter. We decided to ask our readers what they think a Nerdfighter is. Here are some of their responses:
TA: How did you get into Nerdfighteria? KM: The person I was dating back in 2009 told me I’d really like the [Vlogbrothers] videos, so I really just dove into them. I’ve been around for a while, watching the videos, reading John’s books. I went to the TFiOS tour. Then I got way more involved when I met Vicki, who I met through tumblr, and she told me about a gathering with the Nerdfighters of New York. That was back when there were [a lot fewer] people in that group... It’s really blown up since then. It’s ridiculous! Being a part of this community has literally changed my life. I mean, I met the people who helped me make my album through this community.
TA: Now as the community grows like it has, it’s sometimes harder for new people to get involved. What’s your advice to new nerdfighters? KM: You have to remember that even if there are tightknit groups within a community, everybody’s always looking to be friends! You’ve got to stick your neck out there and remember: “No one’s going to hurt my feelings.” Go to gatherings and be as social as possible. Even if you only talk to one person, that’s one possible new friend!
TA: And advice to new musicians? KM: I’ll try to tell them what I tell myself every single day: Do it because you’re having fun, not because you have to or need to. You don’t need to meet some standard. Push yourself only when you’re doing it to make yourself better... Just try and not be too hard on yourself.
Find out more about Kelly! Tumblr: kellyinigomontoya.tumblr.com Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/ K3LLYRI0T. Her albums Mostly Feelings and I didn’t write these songs but i sang them in my bathroom are available for purchase at: kellymontoya.bandcamp.com.
If your goal is to decrease worldsuck and increase world awesome, then you are a Nerdfighter if you want to be. MCJC on Our Pants I think being a Nerdfighter means being made of awesome, yes, but it’s also a community made up of people who are willing to share their nerdiness with others and who mutually like John and Hank’s projects (especially VlogBrothers). Rachel Lee on Facebook The Nerdfighter values can be adopted by anyone, but to gain the label, I think the only requirement is liking Hank and John’s videos. tedum on Tumblr A Nerdfighter is all about wanting to be more. itsallagloriousstory on Tumblr Nerdfighter: a person who self-identifies as a nerd and who attempts to better the world (by “making awesome” or “decreasing suck”). Taoistpage on Tumblr I’d rather not psychoanalyse what it means to be a Nerdfighter. It’s something to enjoy, not have an identity crisis over. quillcafe on Tumblr Every person’s definition of what a Nerdfighter is going to be different… something wildly different. I’m cool with that… edwardspoonhands on Tumblr If you want to be a Nerdfighter, CONGRATULATIONS! You are Nerdfighter. Wanting to be one is the only requirement. aSnowyEvening on Our Pants
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Reader Submissions Thoughts from Places
Flowers in December When I left the frigid east coast of New England, it was a balmy ten degrees Fahrenheit. But in London, the pinkest of roses flourished, filling the Christmas air with the scents of spring. Just around the corner from my hotel room, every tree in Green Park had its leaves. There were even palms and flowers everywhere. By Fanny Dvorkin I only had three days in old London Town, but I planned to make the most of it. This, London, was the real adventure. There was so much history to absorb. Every corner, every stone, held centuries of the stuff, and I was falling in love. We went to Westminster Abbey, and I cried in front of Shakespeare’s bust. His statue held a scroll in his hand, and I tried to make out the writing. Though I could not, I made believe it was Sonnet 18: “But thy eternal summer shall not fade…” The next morning, I boarded a flight to Nairobi and arrived at The Stanley Hotel, named after the famous and murderous British explorer. We had breakfast, and were off again. The moment we landed in the brush, a hot wind blew across my face and I felt the equatorial sun on my back. It smelled warm and rough. But more than anything, it smelled old. A few days and several elephants later, I went to see the Maasai. The Maasai were waiting for us. Dozens of crimson robes shone in the sun. These were the young warriors, out to greet the visitors with a dance. They jumped all around us, higher and higher. All but two stopped trying, and then a
06
showdown began. Finally, the highest jumper was decided. He was a scrawny thing, with big buckteeth and long, braided hair. Next, the women came out. All had their hair cropped short. With them came the children. The women wore long cloths, in every color imaginable. The children were smiling brightly and clung to their mothers’ dresses as they swung their arms up and down and sang a song. We went into the small village, past a fence made of sticks and mud.
The Anglerfish | Issue 3 February 2013
Inside one of the houses, we sat around glowing coals while James, the only man in the village who could speak English, explained how the Maasai lived. He told us that their diet consists of meat and milk, and everything you can get from a cow or goat. And the women never let the fire go out. A new fire is only lit if they abandon a village and move. I listened to all this, straining my eyes in the smoky darkness, swatting a single fly. We returned to Nairobi and the heat was different from the heat in the brush. It was city heat, the kind that makes the air sweat. We sought shelter by the rooftop pool of the Stanley. The water was hotter than the air. I headed back to the room alone. Inside, an etching caught my eye. It was a picture of the Lady Alice, Henry Stanley’s vessel. Stanley was seated in the middle, surrounded by a dozen black men. In the forest surrounding the Congo River, every porter he brought on the voyage would die of exhaustion, disease, or hunger. I stood still in front of the etching for a long time, so long that I arose the suspicion of the guard. He tapped me on the shoulder and I whirled round, frightened. Before me, I saw two yellow eyes and a concerned smile. The rest of him melted into the background; he was the same color as the walls. It was a beautiful color. I began to ask him a question, but I had no idea what I wanted to know. I settled for asking his name. Jeremy, he told me. “Jeremy, does it bother you?” He was confused. “Does it bother you, working in a hotel named after Henry Morton Stanley?” He smiled and said nothing. “Jeremy, do you like working here?” He smiled, but again said nothing. My eyes still stung in the drive to the airport. Along the way, we passed the abandoned railway, the same one that the men in the etching had died to make. We were in England again. There had been a frost while we were gone, and there was not one flower left in all of Mayfair. I had gone on this journey full of a naïve love for a country and empire I had known through history books and ancient poetry. But I met people – current, real, alive-today people – who showed me that more than the stones and yellowed paper, it is the damage done by cruel men that makes a legacy. And it is the kindness done in the wake of such cruelty that can change history.
Reader Submissions Advice
Advice
How can you help a friend who’s emotionally stressed and just went through a nasty break up when she’s on the other side of the world?
I think I might have Nerdfighterlike here (I’m not sure). We went to see a baseball game together in the summer, but it took us a moment to set the day we were going. He had forgotten about it and he did apologize. I asked him about seeing movies together which he said would be a good idea, but I’m afraid he’ll forget about it again or tell me he is busy. What should do? Should I ask him myself a day or should I stop trying so hard to do something together? I always do the first moves and it gets tiresome.
-A girl with friends everywhere
-A Nerdfighter thinking about Nerdfighterlike
Dear Girl,
Dear Nerdfighter,
When dealing with long-distance situations like this, it is always important to remember that your friend most likely has friends where she is. You shouldn’t feel like this is solely your responsibility. It is completely fair for you to want to be there for her, however. After all, she is your friend. One way that you could help her is by lending your ear. Sometimes all a person needs is for someone else to listen to them. If that doesn’t work, feel free to offer any advice that you have. Hearing about how other people dealt with similar situations can be very helpful. It’s a comforting feeling to know that you are not alone in your problems. Even though you can’t physically be there, being there for your friend by listening first and offering advice if needed can be just as helpful.
There are two possible scenarios here—either he honestly forgot about the baseball game, or he didn’t. Either way, both scenarios come with their own set of implications. Let’s face it: these things are complicated. Regardless of which one is true, though, seeing a movie together is a completely different situation. And you’ve already made the first move, so your job is done for now. It’s up to him to reciprocate. If he does, great. If not, you have options. You can act off the assumption that he genuinely forgot and bring it up again, but because this lack of response on his side seems to be a recurring theme, you might want to keep that in mind. Know that just because he doesn’t respond to your invitations to hang out doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with you. Nor does it mean that he’s a terrible person. But you might want to think about if a deeper relationship is worth it if this is going to be a continuing problem.
that you can handle having your exboyfriend back in your life in his most vulnerable emotional state without it damaging you, then definitely at least touch base with him. Let him know that you’re there without getting too heavily involved. If not, I think it’s best to block him. You can’t be much help to somebody else if you’re in a fragile state yourself. And if he feels that he needs you, I’m sure he knows how to get in touch outside of Tumblr.
By Cecily Dreyfuss So, my ex stopped posting on tumblr for about a month and that really helped me move on. Or so I thought. Apparently he’s gone through some major problems and almost committed suicide. And now that I’ve seen the post about what happened and see him posting on tumblr, all those emotions come rushing back. I miss him more than ever now. Should I offer to be there for him if he needs to talk? Or should I block him? Please help. - Bec
Dear Bec,
Photos: Sergei Uriadnikov, Claudio Divizia, Eefje Savelkoul
This sounds like a pretty serious issue. If this were someone you were simply friends with, I’d say to get in touch with him and try to be there in whatever way possible. However, here I’m not entirely sure that’s a good idea. It may seem selfish, but it’s important to think of your own emotional stability before anything else. If you feel
It’s important to think of your own emotional stability before anything else.
I am in dire need of advice about a boy. I have met him at a bus stop last February, and we’ve started speaking as of that day. At that time, he had a girlfriend. They broke up later that year. He is always there when I need him, and seems to care about the things I talk to him about.
Issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 07
Entertainment GoT/ ASoIaF Fandom
08 TheAnglerfish Anglerfish || issue issue 32 February 2013 8 The January 2013
Entertainment GoT/ ASoIaF Fandom After researching Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire (which shall henceforth be abbreviated as ASOIAF), what struck me about the program and novel series was its massiveness and my inability to slap a name or label on it. “Enterprise” doesn’t really feel quite right, but it’s difficult to resist the urge to call it that due to its many branches. Is it a television show that is based on the novels? Is it a novel series created by a man who occasionally writes for the adapted show? Is it something made up of an equal combination of television and books, or does one outlet have more influence over the fan base than the other? By: Marissa Wilks There are too many questions; the ideas surrounding Game of Thrones and ASOIF are so huge and multi-faceted that I think the loosest yet most accurate label to apply to the entire thing is “a story”. And even then it is not just one story, but multiple stories which change depending on the source, and with complexities and intricacies that seem endless. But for time’s sake, let’s just call it a story. Game of Thrones is an HBO television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss; ASOIAF is a book series written by George R. R. Martin that is a twenty-one year-old work still in progress. The story is set in an alternate universe whose technological and sociological advancement are equivalent to that medieval Earth; it follows the narratives of several different characters as their stories take place throughout the Seven Kingdoms of the continent Westeros, in which the seasons can last anywhere from months to years. These characters are from different families and ranks of nobility, all of whom vie for the crown and Iron Throne, which grants the holder total control over all of Westeros. It is a series which focuses upon the ruin of power, the tensions and conflicts between social classes, frank sexuality in all its forms, and humanity’s perpetual struggle between good and evil. That is what the television and book series have in common at their bases, although fans say that the T.V. adaptation has done an excellent job at staying true to the books (for the most part). This fan base is made up of all ages, ranging from high school students to adults (in their 20’s to 50’s), and fans either watch the show, read the books, or take in both.One of the things they find so admirable about the series is its honest brutality. It is a story in which “the good” are not kept alive simply because they are good, nor are “the bad” always punished for their crimes – this is a real-life truth that Martin wanted to make an element in his novels; not to mention the fact that “real-life” doesn’t consist of people who are good and bad, but of those who can bend either way. This is an aspect to the story that Martin purposefully incorporated and which the fans revel in; it’s a brilliant thing when one can love a character for all their complexities yet absolutely despise them at the same time. It’s great writing which is shown in both the novels and the television adaptation. However, one dissatisfaction often voiced by the fans who have read the books is that the sexual
explicitness of the HBO series is over-the-top and, at times, completely fabricated. It is true that the books touch down on the more gruesome aspects of human sexuality, as does the T.V. show; yet the fans sometimes complain that the show is overtly gratuitous, and that its visual representation of women is something along the lines of being “eye-candy.” There is definitely an element of truth there as the women are being depicted as blemish-free and well waxed in a time period where pet dogs aren’t even dogs yet. (They’re direwolves.) However, in defense of the show, it is television. Television or movie adaptations can never be what the books are or vice versa. Television is an audio-visual experience, while books are (typically) purely written – and this often leads movie/T.V. adaptations to be either over-the-top or unable to meet the bar set by fan expectations. As far as visuals go, Game of Thrones does not disappoint; the landscapes are beautiful, the costumes look amazing, and all the actors are believable. Still, does all that make up for its more murky exaggerations? Some ASOIAF fans are able to reconcile with the show thanks to these virtues, while some choose to keep to their books; in the end, it’s up for the individual fan to decide. The thing that’s true about any fandom, but especially for one as massive as this, is that there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. The enjoyments one can take from it are limitless, and it doesn’t make someone any less of a fan for liking one form over the other. This is the sort of story whose discussions will never be completely finished. It is just that massive and complex; the conversations are without limit and are forever interesting. That’s one of the best things about such a series, though, as it is the kind that grows unto itself due to all the discussion surrounding it. One little article can’t do a story like this justice, which is why I encourage all of those who are interested to check out either the books or the T.V. show. You might be disappointed or you might not, but this kind of story isn’t for the faint of heart. Is it worth it to find out? Absolutely. Game of Thrones and ASOIAF are not works to be easily forgotten or dismissed, and I encourage anyone who is interested to find out for themselves.
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Entertainment
Entertainment Apocalyptic Books
Notable Novels Apocalyptic Fiction
Ever thought of reading interpretations of humanity’s imminent end? Unlike dystopian fiction, apocalyptic stories deal with the struggle during or shortly after disaster has struck the world. We’ve picked a few notable reads from this genre to share our thoughts with its different interpretations. by Sasha Bogoslowsky
The Road by Cormac McCarthy was quite popular a few years back having been made into an award-winning film with Viggo Mortensen as the Man. This story follows an unnamed man and his son as they travel south, in the hope that they’ll find safety from the oncoming winter. The American landscape is bare, and those who have survived have, for the most part, resorted to cannibalism. The Road has some gruesome images of what can become of humanity in dire times, and it is definitely worth a read. 4.5/5 Anglerfish Next up is Brian K. Vaughan’s graphic novel series, Y: The Last Man. As the title suggests, Yorrick is the last man left on earth, leaving the women to decide his fate. This series, which spans ten tradeback issues, is a captivating read for anyone and a good way to get your foot through the door of indie comics. The writing and art are phenomenal, and you’re sure to be hooked on Vaughan after reading the series. 4/5 Anglerfish If you’re looking for a snappy, noncommittal read, World War Z by Max Brooks is
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a hilarious work of zombie fiction. The author, who also wrote The Zombie Survival Guide, created an oral history of a zombie war told through various interviews of survivors around the world. The novel can feel a bit dry, but there’s no doubt in its originality. Brooks has taken his zombie war history concept and turned it into a star of the genre. The success of World War Z has lead to an upcoming movie adaptation, but trust us- it looks less than stellar for those who’ve read the novel. 3.5/5 Anglerfish Lastly, we bring you a classic, Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien. Published in 1974, it was one of the first apocalyptic Young Adult novel. The story is told through the perspective of Ann, a teenaged girl living in possibly the only habitable place left in the world. This novel is one of the rare cases of a female narrator taking control in an apocalyptic world. She tells her story through a diary which she begins to update once she notices someone approaching her home from afar. The story feels a
bit slow at times, and Ann’s relationship with her newfound companion is, at times, disturbing to witness. The rarity of her situation in this genre, however, makes Z for Zachariah a notable read. 3/5 Anglerfish
Entertainment YouTube Movie
Please Subscribe The YouTube Documentary
YouTube is the next big thing, and it has been for a few years. So many people have come to love YouTube stars for the shows that they create and upload. But, really, who are these people and why do they keep creating videos? Why do people keep coming back? Dan Dobi chose to examine this through Please Subscribe, a documentary about some of the many YouTubers we love, and through this movie, Dobi tries to find these answers. In the interviews, the YouTubers talked about how they got started making videos, why they enjoy it, and how this lifestyle has changed them. By: Becca Rhodes From an outsider’s perspective, YouTubers may seem to be all the same. These people seem to sit in the rooms, record themselves doing something silly or discussing a contemporary topic, and then post it online. But there was a wide range of YouTubers involved in the film. The only obvious linking factor between all is where they live: Los Angeles or New York, which have become the main
locations for American YouTubers. From that point on, all the stories were different. Some people started making videos back when YouTube was just becoming a viable career choice; others started much more recently. A few experienced a sudden boom in subscribers, while others have been building their fan base for years. The documentary also covered how YouTubing affects these stars—sometimes helping and sometimes hurting. Mitchell Davis talked about how YouTube is helping him overcome his severe OCD, while Dan Brown recalled how his project Dan 3.0, and always being alone, led to serious depression. Others YouTubers, like Adam Montoya, Grace Helbig, and Hannah Hart, all enjoy the aspect of being alone for most of their days and while they work. All these differences made the documentary very eye-opening and extremely interesting. Even if you don’t make YouTube videos, just watching YouTube videos or the interviewees brings you closer to the subjects of the documentary and enables you to connect with them, in a way. Also, the YouTube page styled transitions were entertaining and clever. As the movie ended, Dan Dobi came back on to announce how one more person will be added to the final cut and how that person could be you (or some other audience
member). But my main problem with the film was how the only thing that seemed to be missing was a moral. Without a moral, or a general conclusion of any sort, the film did not feel quite complete. However, I did love this film and would give it 4 out of 5 Anglerfish because while you do not have to like YouTube to enjoy this documentary, it does add to the viewing experience.
Please Subscribe http://pleasesubscribefilm.com
Mitchell Davis
http://youtube.com/livelavalive
Dan Brown
http://youtube.com/pogobat
Adam Montoya
http://youtube.com/seananners
Grace Helbig
http://youtube.com/dailygrace
Hannah Hart
http://youtube.com/myharto
issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 13
Entertainment The Best
Educational YouTube Content Creators Learn about the world without changing out of your pajamas! We all know about John & Hank’s fabulously successful Crash Course videos, which cover topics from biology to world history to literature. If you haven’t seen those videos, you should check them out at the link above. While these videos have reached huge audiences, with almost 500,000 subscribers, and are wildly popular within the walls of Nerdfighteria, there are lots of other educational online content creators. You probably will have heard of some of the people and groups on this list, but we’ll hopefully be able to introduce you to some other creators who you haven’t seen before. By Lindsay Gossett
The Brain Scoop The newest educational YouTuber who everyone is talking about is Emily Graslie of The Brain Scoop. Hank Green visited her at the Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum in Missoula, Montana at the beginning of December, realized that she was completely awesome, and asked her if she wanted to start making videos. She’s the volunteer curatorial assistant at the museum, and she’s brilliant. So far, the videos have featured the retrieval of a wolf, tours of the museum and non-museum storage areas, bear skulls, and more. I have a fantastic time watching her videos, and I’ve already learned a lot.
TED & TEDx One of the most influential educational groups on the internet is TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. The organization definitely lives up to its subtitle of “Ideas Worth Spreading,” with annual conferences and constant independent TEDx events. They record all of the speeches at TED and TEDx conferences and post them online. There are speeches ranging from creativity and education to science and graffiti, and John Green even gave a talk on paper towns. A new talk is posted every day, and they never fail to captivate me. I’ve learned so much from TED, and attending a TED conference is on my bucket list.
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SourceFed I doubt there are very many people in the YouTube community who haven’t heard of Philip DeFranco. With over 2 million subscribers, he runs his self-titled news and commentary show, which has become one of the most popular YouTube news shows. About a year ago, he launched a second channel called SourceFed. The cast of SourceFed (Lee Newton, Joe Bereta, Trisha Hershberger, Eliot Morgan, and Steve Zaragoza) posts five current events videos every Monday through Thursday with bonus videos on the weekend, covering topics that range from new tech to scientific discoveries to human interest stories.
Entertainment Karen Kavett
Sorted Food Most people learned about Sorted Food when they made a video with Charlie McDonnell, and then when they made another video with Alex Day. I’ve always fancied myself a decent cook, but their recipes turn out a million times better than anything I could come up with on my own. Some of my personal favorites are their Greek Salmon Parcels and Ultimate Burgers, the latter of which they made with Charlie. If you’re looking for some new recipes to add to your collection or if you just want to start cooking, their videos are excellent and the recipes always end up tasting delicious.
Minute Physics
Karen Kavett worked at YouTube for a time, and now works as a freelance graphic designer. You probably know her from her ampersand necklaces on sale at dftba.com/karen. She also makes loads of videos on topics like the history of Pantone Color, how to design an eye-catching resume, how to wrap gorgeous Christmas presents, and other general healthy things. I personally love all of her videos. She has a really engaging personality, and she’s helped me redecorate my dorm room with all of her how-to videos. Her channel also has videos that teach people how to learn the basics of graphic design (with or without fancy software), and ever since I watched them, I’ve been tracing fonts day and night.
Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce -- the RSA for short -- records many of the speeches given at their conventions. They also produce the widely-known RSAnimate series, in which artists visually represent speeches on a whiteboard. I love most of the content that the RSA produces and I think they provide a vital service by publicizing their content.
MinutePhysics is the brainchild of Henry Reich, and it’s another one of those YouTube channels that pretty much everyone I know watches. With over a million subscribers, Henry teaches the internet all about physics. He was the one person who successfully explained to my non-scientific mind why the Higgs Boson particle was such a big deal, and I think he’s probably taught me more physics than my high school physics class ever did. He never fails to make learning fun and engaging, addressing questions like whether it’s better to walk or run in the rain, if there’s poop on the moon, and how we see light, just to mention a few of his recent videos.
Vi Hart Vi Hart is the only person who has ever gotten me to enjoy math. She has taught me how to doodle beautifully, along with teaching me about infinite sets, snowflake variations, optimal arrangements, and other lovely fantastic things. If you think you don’t like math, it’s because you haven’t watched enough Vi Hart videos yet. She finds the most interesting facets of mathematics and explains them with doodles, green beans, and anything else you can imagine.
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Entertainment
The Puff Factor Images by (from left), biol.unt.edu and ariamaclassical.blogspot.com
“Hank, you know what I do when I get stressed out? You know what I do? I do this thing, I do the puff, I do the puff up, I do the constant puff up.” By Melissa-Lynn Heineman On May 7th, 2007, John Green introduced a new idea to Vlogbrothers: puffs levels. Since then, puff levels have gained a much greater meaning and popularity within Nerdfighteria. Originally defined as “a direct correlation to stress levels,” it usually happened when John felt stressed, and he would run his fingers through his hair in frustration. Since then, it gained a looser definition, not only to be stress, but excitable in general as well as simply the humidity that made his hair, well, puff. So, simply in newer terms, puff levels are when hair sticks out up and out, “poofing (or puffing)” usually in response to an excitable occurrence. It’s very easy to see that there are people with noticeable puff levels. What’s even more awesome is that there are people with high puff who are incredibly awesome, and have Nerdfighter-esque aspects. Neil Gaiman, who is quite Nerdfighter-y, is a good example of this, as he is a writer of novels, comics/graphic novels, and screen and teleplays, and is a good friend of John’s. Other celebrities that have these puff levels in correlation to Nerdfighter-ness would be Tim Burton and Christopher Lloyd - think Doc Brown. But it’s impossible to stop here. There are so many characters from media that have naturally high puff levels which quite awesomely correlate to certain aspects of Nerdfighter-ness. Take Ten (David Tennant in Doctor Who) for example. Tennant’s hair is undeniably puffy, and as Ten, he has definite nerdfighter qualities. He is incredibly excitable and has had his moments of happy dancing. He is passionate for what he loves - that being science and history (as the Doctors tend to be) - and he has made numerous references and had multiple geek-out moments - especially when it comes to 20th century pop culture, including nods to Harry Potter, Shakespeare, animated Disney films, and Ghostbusters. For me, Ron Stoppable from Kim Possible definitely deserves a place on this list. From the golden age of the Disney Channel, he is the epitome of animated awesome. You may question his lack of puff trauma, but may I point back to the episodes that sometimes focus on his despair over his wretched (and adored) cowlick. Inventor of the naco (part taco, part nacho) and holder of Mystical Monkey powers and the Ron Factor, Ron constantly has Rufus - his naked mole rat - in his pants and has cosplayed as the Fearless Ferret. He also stands by the idea of nerdfighters being accepting to people. He easily floated between the cliques at Middleton, from Kim and the other cheerleaders, to fashion-obsessed Monique, to gamer geek Zita and nerdy Larry
and Ned. Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory) is impossible to not picture on this list. Although as of late his hair has been manageable, the experi m e nta l physicist’s old curly “Jewfro” is still remembered. He is part of a plethora of fandoms, ranging from comics, to LotR, to Star Trek, and so on. What makes him Nerdfighter-y is his extraordinary range of interests. He is not only a science expert, but he has been shown to know a wide-range of things involving music, history, and literature. Of his friends, he is the least awkward and has the most social grace. He truly displays attributes of early or undiscovered nerdfighters as he hides his inner fan-person when he’s outside of his group in fear of not being accepted and is most comfortable (even if he sometimes denies it) with Raj, Howard and Sheldon. Ralph of Wreck it Ralph may not be an obvious choice, but he definitely deserves a spot on this list. He spends the course of his movie attempting to gain a medal so that he can live in the penthouse as the rest of the characters of Fix It Felix Jr. shun him for his villain status. He firmly believes (as do many of the other villains in the movie) that just because he was created a villain doesn’t mean he is essentially a bad person. His hair has extreme puff, so he fits that part of the criteria, but it’s his unintentional humanitarian exploits that display his nerdfighter qualities. He, over the course of the movie, fights for himself and against a stereotype, which, in the end, decreases World Suck, making their world a much better one. These are just a few of many characters that display the interesting statistic of characters who are both struggling with their puff and have deliciously nerdy tendencies. Some other characters that didn’t reach my top four were Louis (Meet the Robinsons), Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother), Pinkie Pie (My Little Pony), Dil Pickles (Rugrats/All Grown Up!), Hermione Granger, Arnold Cunningham (Book of Mormon) and Colin Singleton (An Abundance of Katherines). This puff comes in all shapes and sizes, from the perpetual bedhead to the Jewfro to “Einstein” hair, and so on. Like the wonderful medley of characters out there, many of us (including myself) fall into the category of people who experience and struggle with puff. But you are not alone, and together, we should embrace our awesome and our puff.
PUFF LEVELS ARE HIGH
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Entertainment Convention Season
The Convention Attendee’s Survival Guide The long drought of conventions over winter has finally come to an end and it’s time to start getting prepared. Let’s face it, there is a lot that can take a convention noob by surprise if they aren’t expecting it. Chances are you’ve probably been to a con before, but on the off chance that you haven’t, I have made it my duty to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself on the ground floor. Without further ado, lace up your shoes, strap on your backpacks, and get ready for your convention crash course. By: Brandon Dannenhoffer
Pre-Con Preparation:
How much money should you take? Are you going to cosplay? How are you going to get there? There are many questions you should be asking yourself before you even begin to daydream about all the fun you’re going to have. I know it seems a little overboard for a few days of fun, but going in ill-prepared can ruin the whole convention experience.
1. Traveling
If you’re lucky enough, the convention will be in a city near you, but chances are it won’t be, which is why you’ll have to plan ahead of time, in terms of how you’ll get there and where you will stay. Your first instinct will probably be to fly and to get a hotel, but for money saving purposes, let’s explore some alternative options: Instead of flying, check to see if the convention will be within driving distance. If so, see if you can get some friends to carpool with you or take a bus. This might take a few more hours than flying, but it’ll leave you more money to spend on comics, action figures, or whatever else you might want. As for room and board, hotels aren’t a bad option if you’re staying with multiple people and can split the payment. A good thing to keep in mind is that the farther away from the city the hotel is, the cheaper the room will be. Then again, you could always stay with relatives if they are available and knock out some obligated family time in one fell swoop.
2. Cosplaying
For those of you who don’t know what cosplay is, where the heck have you been? In all seriousness, cosplay stands for costume play. Costume play is exactly what it sounds like: you dress up as your favorite character(s) and run around the convention, sometimes in persona. Many con goers spend weeks - even months - preparing and perfecting their costumes down to the very last detail. The majority of people go to conventions just to cosplay, but sometimes cosplaying
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Entertainment Convention Season can be a hassle. If your costume is a popular character or just very well made, people are likely to stop and ask for your picture, so much so it might cut back on your free time. It can also be very hot and uncomfortable depending on what kind of material your costume is made out of. As a first time con goer, I suggest that you skip cosplaying, just so you can experience the convention without any interruptions. However, if you’re hellbent on dressing up, there are some ways to make cosplaying stress-free. Try getting a group of friends to dress up with you. This way, it redirects some of the attention off you and onto your group, especially if all the characters are from the same thing. Also, if you’re going for multiple days, maybe consider only dressing up for one of the days and go casually for the rest of them.
3. Scheduling
About a month before the convention, the floor map and panels are usually released, so it’s always a good idea to plan what you want to do and see. There is nothing worse than missing out on panels and activities due to lack of preparation and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Unfortunately, many of the good panels are scheduled at the same time and can be extremely hard to choose one over the other. In this case, some sacrifices need to be made, but only you can really decide what is most important. Perhaps if you can’t come to a decision, try getting a friend to go to one while you go to the other. And remember, if the panel is really good, it’ll most likely make its way to YouTube. Another thing to keep in mind is how popular the panels are and how long the lines will be. In some cases, people will wait in lines nearly all day long to attend a panel. Often times, it is best to sit through a few panels in the same room to snag a good seat for the actual panel you want to see. However, in the end, it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether or not the panel is worth wasting time that could be used on the show floor.
3. Spending Money and Buying Swag
Now that you’ve saved tons of money on traveling, you’ll probably want to spend that dough on some swag. One thing to keep in mind is that you’ll be carrying around whatever you buy for the rest of the day, so consider buying your swag before you leave. It’ll free up some space in your bag and your back won’t be hurting mid-way through the con. Another thing to consider are discounts. Conventions are one of the biggest times of the year for vendors, so they will do anything to make a sale. More often than not, they’ll mark down prices on things that aren’t selling very well. They’ll probably slash prices on the last day of the con as well. After all, the fewer things they have to pack up, the easier it is for them.
So with these tips (and some common sense), you’re sure to have a great first convention experience!
Con Preparation: 1. Time Management
In order to make the best of your con experience, it is important that you manage your time wisely. If you don’t need to be the first to snag con-exclusive items, then there is no reason to stand in line hours before the con starts. Instead, show up an hour after the show starts. There will be hardly any lines and you’ll walk right in. Also, signings can get pretty hectic depending on who it is and their schedule is like. They can sometimes be limited to a certain amount of people, so it is important to stop by the booth they will be signing at and get a ticket, wristband, or whatever it is that claims your spot ahead of time. If you are the unfortunate person who wasn’t able to get a spot in line, try pairing up with someone. You might not actually be able to meet the signer, but you can still let another person bring your signature book or what have you with them.
2. Hygiene If there is one piece of advice every con-goer will give you, it’s good hygiene. You will be crammed packed into big crowds and your personal bubble will be invaded, so it’s important to shower, apply deodorant, and brush your teeth before you go to the con. This is not meant to poke fun at anyone, it is just common courtesy. Furthermore, pack a stick of deodorant in your bag because you will sweat and need to reapply!
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Entertainment Dungeons and Dragons
Beginning Your Quest What is a Campaign?
You’ve read the introduction to role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons in our last issue, so now let’s begin your quest - but wait! Do you know what being in a campaign truly means? It may sound obvious, but it takes a good amount of determination, collaboration, and imagination from players and game masters to be a part of a fulfilling role-playing campaign. Get ready to commit, and avoid those critical misses of your d20. By Sasha Bogoslowsky A campaign in any role-playing tabletop game is a committed group of players (and their game master) whose characters come together and stay together for quests. In essence, your relationship to each other and to your role-playing world matters. The game or dungeon master (DM) can build a story around the group’s needs and expectations. This idea is central to a fulfilling long-term beginners experience to tabletop role-playing. Anyone can play D&D at a store during an Encounters session and walk away with a great experience, but being a part of a campaign is like buying a game as opposed to renting it. When you join a campaign, you expect a certain amount of pay-off for your commitment from the DM and fellow players. So what makes a good campaign? For starters, every player should be equally eager and able to play on a regular schedule, including the DM. Review your schedule for the next few months and decide as a group when you can meet. This
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seems simple, but it’s a real bummer when you’ve had to put off continuing your campaign for weeks because your resident Barbarian had to take three rain checks. Stay flexible and you’ll have the best experience. Speaking of flexibility, it’s important to keep the story centered on a higher purpose for newer players. Some DMs will see this as hand-holding and would rather the characters figure out the objectives on their own, but this can lead to newer players feeling lost and as though the campaign they’ve set out on has no purpose at all. Keep to a central storyline, and give your newer players some clear objectives. A campaign with choice that sustains clarity in its goals is a campaign worth playing. At the heart of a good campaign is the person creating it: the DM. If there is no experienced DM among your group of players you have assembled, pulling straws is possibly the worst method for appointing one. If no one volunteers, try and envision someone who can think about the big picture but can hone in on details on the spot. A good DM isn’t necessarily a planner, but they can improvise enough to get the players by while still moving the campaign along. If the characters are working hard on a quest, a good DM will make it worth their while. This being said, try and always move forward in your game by keeping the big picture in mind. Side quests are probable solutions for integrating more world-building by exposing the players to more of their campaign’s universe, but a good campaign stays focused. With these tips in mind, now you can truly begin your quest of having the best possible role-playing tabletop game experience.
Entertainment Fantasy & Myth
Mythical Creatures Unmasked Want the truth about five mythological creatures you thought you knew? Well, we’ve got the dirt! By Keri Payton Phoenix Like many mythological creatures, there is only one phoenix. It is a beautiful bird with red and gold plumage that bathes in a well and sings to Helios, the sun god, as he pulls his chariot across the sky at dawn. The age of the phoenix ranges from five hundred to one thousand years. When it has reached the end of its lifespan, the phoenix builds a nest of cinnamon and frankincense, sets it alight, and burns, to be reborn three days later from the ashes. The new phoenix then deposits the ashes of the old in an egg made of myrrh and delivers it to Helios.
Mermaid The mermaid is often portrayed as being half-fish and half beautiful woman. However this depiction is not only inaccurate but illogical. While the merfolk come in more than a singular gender, the idea that they are somehow half cold-blooded creatures is grossly misguided. They are in fact mammals and while their appearance is somewhat humanoid, they are more closely related to dolphins. Merfolk are warm-blooded animals and do not have fish scales or gills. Mermaids are also often said to lure men to their death with their beautiful voices but this is a trait of sirens, which are winged and ugly creatures.
Unicorn The unicorn is often shown in media as a pure white horse with a spiralled horn atop its head. However, the unicorn is, in fact, smaller and slighter than a horse with cloven hooves like a goat, as well as a tail like that of a lion. The unicorn’s horn embodies the Third Eye and the creature is a symbol of inner strength and dignity. It is sometimes confused that only virgins can see or approach unicorns – but this is also inaccurate, at least in a literal sense. The unicorn can sense a person’s virtue and falsities. It allies itself with those who are good of intention, not pure of sexual activities. Gorgon Medusa is the most well-known of the three Gorgons. Depicted with snakes for hair, she could turn any onlooker into stone and later tales tell of how she was thwarted by Perseus, who was aided by the goddess Athene. However, Medusa was once a beautiful woman with golden hair, cursed by Athene to be a hideous monster after Poseidon forced himself on Medusa in Athene’s temple. Athene doomed Medusa’s two sisters – Stheno and Euryale – to join her in her hideous curse. The three Gorgons have wings and large protruding fangs. Basilisk Readers of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets know the basilisk to be a large serpent that can kill you with its stare. Yet while the basilisk is quite deadly, it is in fact much smaller in size, measuring only six inches in length. While the basilisk’s petite size may at first seem unintimidating, coupled with its deadly gaze, its smaller frame makes it that much harder to identify before it is too late. It has a white spot that adorns its head like a crown jewel, and for this reason, it is regarded as the monarch of serpents. The Latin name of the basilisk is ‘regulus’, meaning “little king.” The basilisk is hatched from a serpent’s egg by a cockerel and the bird’s crowing is the only thing that wards it off.
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Entertainment
Part-Time Picassos Creating Where You Can
Don’t worry; if what you want to do is write, and what you go to school for is computer science, you’re in good company.
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Entertainment Images from Gavin Aung of znepencils
Whether you’re picking a major or picking up a hobby, you might want to hear what these creative nerds have to say. By Alyssa Nabors So after eighteen years of telling you, the high school senior, that you can do whatever you want, you are being asked to make a decision that will cost thousands of dollars and impact your entire future. Will you pursue your dream job of writer, artist, musician, or actor – or will you take a safer, more secure route in engineering or business? Some might tell you that if you don’t make the creative pursuit a priority, you are resigning yourself to a life without it. Others will tell you, as Charles Bukowski said, “If you’re going to create, you’re going to create whether you work sixteen hours in a coal mine … You’re going to create blind, crippled, demented … You’re going to create with a cat crawling up your back while the whole city trembles in earthquake, bombardment, and fire.” So don’t worry; if what you want to do is write, and what you go to school for is computer science, you’re in good company. I’ve talked to Nerdfighters who work on novels, do freelance graphic design, participate in community theater, make jewelry, knit, sew, and record their own music - all in their spare time. These are people who have full time jobs, more than one job, and family responsibilities, and they still find time to pursue their passions. For the most part, they are not motivated by the money they hope to make or the fame they hope to attain, but because they have a deep desire to create. Some admitted they have no interest in finding a way to make their hobby a full-time job, they simply do what they do because they love doing it. But others talked about submitting work to short story magazines and finding websites where people could hire them or buy prints of their work. “Why do creative geeks (artists, musicians, and writers that dwell primarily on the Internet) often live double lives?” asks Joel Watson, creator of HijiNKS Ensue. “Because there isn’t a readily accessible system in place to allow a creative artist to choose to make a living from their craft without undue sacrifice, struggle, and hardship.” Watson has spent four years supporting himself and his family through his comic and its associated merchandise- he calls it “The Experiment” and he keeps a record of it on his blog, hoping “to create a road map for other creative individuals to more easily turn their passion into a full time job.” One post, entitled “The ‘Digital Age’ Artist’s Manifesto” talks about the opportunities provided by
today’s technology and the internet and how to use them to your best advantage. He’s not the only one who’s successfully made the transition. Karen and Dana Charboro were recently featured by Etsy for making their store, which sells handmade and vintage décor, their full time job. “Success and happiness are not defined just by money or achieving a certain status in your career.” says Karen. “It’s easy to lose sight of what is truly important in life while struggling to succeed. We now earn a living doing something we love and it’s on our own terms. It’s made us look at life in a whole new light.” Megan Lavey-Heaton and Isabelle Melançon of the webcomic Namesake still work second jobs, but their success in using Kickstarter to fund the printing of the first two volumes of their comic has greatly encouraged them; they both hope to continue to make comics, tell good stories, and help others to do the same. At times, it’s hard to remember that every great author and artist started out as an unknown, and they remember what it was like starting out. Here’s some advice to get you started and keep you going: You write. You finish what you write … Sooner or later, if you don’t give up and you have some measurable amount of ability or talent or luck, you [succeed]. - Neil Gaiman Take the time to nurture your creative soul. Watch a movie, read a book, go to a museum. Take a break and let your mind breathe. Ideally, you should do this a little every day, but absolutely once a week. You’re no good to anyone, especially yourself and your creative goals, if you burn out. - Megan Lavey-Heaton Don’t get discouraged because others
may be better or reach their goals faster than you. Everyone follows a different path… Just keep swimming, and never fear talking about what you do and what you love. - Isabelle Melançon To pursue a creative career you have to be very committed to make it a success. Even if you are starting out on a smaller scale, you can still set clear goals for yourself and work hard to achieve them. Along the way you will make mistakes, but learn from them and move on. You also have to always be willing to take the next step, even when it feels like a leap. - Karen Charboro You do not have to be famous. You don’t have to reach 100 million people to be a success … We thrive on the creative process, and everyone else benefits from the result … We are the first generation of artists that DO NOT NEED PERMISSION to pursue our passion full time. - Joel Watson As one of the nerdfighters I spoke to summarized it, the choice sometimes seems to be between living a sort of impoverished bohemian lifestyle or chaining yourself to a cubicle. But if your passion is to create, in whatever way, then follow another piece of advice from Mr. Gaiman: “Do what only you can do best - Make Good Art.” Quotes from www.neilgaiman.com and www.hijinksensue.com used with author’s permission. Image courtesy of Gavin Aung of zenpencils.com Thanks to Joel, Neil, Meg and Isa of www. namesakecomic.com, Karen and Dana of http://www.etsy.com/shop/NorthCountryComforts, and all the Nerdfighters who took the time to share with me.
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Entertainment
Sports: More Nerdy Than You Think The typical nerd stereotype does not involve any sort of physical activity, but this stereotype is simply not true. Sports and nerdiness are not mutually exclusive, especially when there are a bunch of sports that appeal to our geeky nature for us to partake in. By Elsa Stoff
Fencing Many of the most successful fencers took up the sport after falling in love with movies such as The Princess Bride. However, the nerdiest part of the sport is how much strategy and use of the mind it requires. Regardless of body type, fencing fits everyone, due the large mental aspect of the game and the three types of weapons providing everyone with a niche in the sport. You can fence foil, epee, or saber, and each weapon is drastically different. Fencing takes a lot of hard work, which sometimes seems tedious, but it is definitely worth it. You can either do the sport at your school if it’s offered, or a local fencing club. You can visit the US or British fencing site for beginner information or do a Google search for fencing in your area to get started.
Capoeira Although this sport seems rather esoteric, anyone can try this Brazilian form of martial arts which adds a music and dance aspect. It is a fast and intricate sport. So why is this one nerdy? It’s obscure and it looks awesome. The sport originates from a tribal practice in Africa used to fight for a woman, and it was put into practice by slaves in Brazil as a tool for survival. Currently, in a game, players strive for superior skill, rather than typical combative goals. Also, Tom Hiddleston used capoeira to prepare for playing Loki. You can locate your local capoeira school through Virtual Capoeira.
Muggle Quidditch Harry Potter and Nerdfighteria often seem inextricable, so one of the best ways for the typical Nerdfighter to keep in shape is to play Quidditch. Students at Middlebury College first adapted Quidditch for the Muggle world in 2005, and since then, the sport has grown significantly. Although it mostly exists at colleges, some communities and high schools have created their own teams. Despite the lack of flying, players need to keep a broom between their legs at all times during play. The neutral snitch runner can often run around all of campus during a college game. Right now, around 1,000 teams are currently in existence, and they are all organized by the International Quidditch Association.
Curling In America, curling is mostly known as “that weird Canadian sport.” For those who are completely unfamiliar with the sport; it’s basically shuffleboard on ice. The goal is to slide the “stone” to a certain location on the board, and the player is aided by team members sweeping the ice with brooms. This sport involves a lot of strategy. The game comes from Scotland, and today, it can be watched during the Winter Olympics. This sport is for polite nerds, since good sportsmanship is a staple of the game. You can Google curling clubs in your area to take part.
Archery We all have our favorite archer in nerd culture, whether it’s Hawkeye, Green Arrow, Legolas, Merida, Katniss, Robin Hood, or someone else. You too can learn to emulate their skills as an actual sport. Despite its historic use for hunting and battle, most archery nowadays is target practice. Archers use many different types of bows and arrows, but there are standard bows and arrows made of composite materials for basic archery. It takes some practice to maintain proper stance and work on aiming. If you get involved, you will most likely be doing stationary target archery. You can look up local clubs for beginner classes. These are just some of the awesome sports that you can try while still maintaining, and even boosting your nerd cred. If these don’t appeal to you but you’re still looking for a way to get fit, the elemental bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender (and now The Legend of Korra) is based off of different martial arts styles, or there is always luge, skeleton, or bobsledding.
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News Decreasing Worldsuck, Without Bleeding Your Wallet By Idunn Yr
Do you feel guilty about not having enough money to donate to good causes? Are you waiting for a steady income to get involved in charity? That can all change because here are some nifty ways to decrease worldsuck even when you are broke! GreaterGood.com is a non-profit organization that uses money from advertisements to fund all kinds of great causes. They run many different sites devoted to various charities and donate all the money made from advertisements to their charitable partners -- organizations that feed the poor, provide health services, educate children, or save the environment. Pick your favorite cause, head to their site and click to donate (or just pick them all). If simply clicking a button isn’t stimulating enough, FreeRice.com allows you to play a variety of educative games and every time you get a right answer they donate 10 grains of rice to feed the hungry. What is better than learning and doing good at the same time? And if you feel like getting out and exercising,
AllOut.org features petitions concerning LGBT rights, pressuring countries, governments, and organizations to recognize equality for everyone.
Avaaz.org sends regular emails featuring petitions that might interest you. They fight against a wide range of regional and international issues -- to name just a few, poverty, inequality, corruption and climate change.
become a sponsored athlete at CharityMiles.org. Just download their app onto your smartphone, and you’re good to go! For every mile you walk, run, or bike, your sponsors will donate to a charity of your choice. Money doesn’t solve all of the world’s problems. People are being mistreated across the globe and sometimes the way to make change is through raising awareness and petitioning to people in power. Many sites offer online petitions, and people using them are making changes every day.
Change.org allows people to create and circulate their own petitions for any cause under the sun.
Amnesty.org works to end human rights violations in over 150 countries, and their website features petitons as well.
issue 23 January February2013 2013| |The TheAnglerfish Anglerfish 25 25 issue
News Hello, Harto! The Tour Show By Jordan Kahle
Most people know her as the host of My Drunk Kitchen, the show where she attempts to cook food as she gets progressively gets drunk, spouting charm and witty puns like it’s nobody’s business. Some people may also know her from the Evening of Awesome event at Carnegie Hall where she helped out with Question Tuesday. Regardless, her name is Hannah Hart, and she may be coming to a city near you. Hannah made the first episode of My Drunk Kitchen for a friend and it ended
up becoming her job. Since then, a community—deeming themselves Hartosexuals—has come together around Hannah and her show. Hannah says in her Indiegogo campaign video, “What was really significant to me, personally, was finding this community that emerged. Being able to interact with my community on a daily basis has been hands down the best part of all of this. But there has always been one thing that they’ve asked for that I have never been able to give to my community. And that is a tour.” She set off to raise money for a nationwide tour and ended up raising her $50K goal in less than six hours. Gotta love the internet. Because of the money raised in the last 30 days, Hanna’s tour—dubbed Hello, Harto!—will now be in not only the US, but also the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. It will be part vlog, part travel, and part show
as she will be making MDK videos along the way. Tour stops will be decided by donations per capita. Though you may no longer be able to affect the decision, you can keep up to date on which cities have the most donations by checking out the tour map linked below. Also be sure to check out her YouTube channels if you haven’t seen them already, and as always, DFTBA!
For more info on Hannah Hart: -My Drunk Kitchen: http://www. youtube.com/user/MyHarto -Tour Map: http://dft.ba/-TourMap -Hello, Harto! Indiegogo: http://dft. ba/-HelloHarto
The 52nd Street Project:
Proving How Fantastic Children’s Theatre Can Be By Lindsay Gossett
A few weeks ago, I trekked from my dorm in Bronxville, NY to Manhattan. I was headed to the corner of 52nd Street and 7th Avenue, the home of the 52nd Street Project. I got a bit lost coming out of Grand Central (I can’t use the subway to save my life), ended up in Brooklyn, and made it back just in time for the show to start. I had no expectations -- one of my friends had worked on the lighting and told me that the performers would be children, and that was pretty much all I knew. As the lights dimmed and the show began, I was completely enchanted. I saw Nobody’s Perfect: Plays with Fatal Flaws, a production of The Project’s Two-on-Two program. The show was comprised of 6 sketches with two different kids (I’d estimate their ages to be 5th-9th grade) in each one. The sketches were engaging, hilarious, and extremely well-performed. Each one included one or more musical element, and the kids sung and acted professionally and with extreme composure, though it was clear that they were all having a lot of fun. I only learned about the mission of The Project after the play was through and I was raving about it to my friend. Since 1981, when Willie Reale founded The Project, he and a group of artists and volunteers have
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worked to create new plays for and with children from the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan. The Project gives children who don’t have a safe place to go after school and gives them a safe community -dinner, homework help, and theatre lessons -- for free. The Project’s first acting program was the “One-on-One,” in which 10 children are taken on a retreat during the summer and assigned a playwright. That playwright writes a play specifically for the child they’re working with, and then performs the play with the child both at the retreat and at The Project’s theatre in Manhattan. When the plays move back to the theatre, professional lighting, sound, and projection designers volunteer their services to make the plays look as polished as is possible. The One-onOne program also has a musical component, with professional composers volunteering their time to work with the children on songs written specifically for them. From the One-on-One program sprouts everything else that The Project does. In the Playback program, the kids write the plays that are to be performed by themselves and an adult partner (essentially the opposite of the One-on-One experience). The Teen Project introduces kids who have already
been through the younger levels of The Project to existing texts and advanced acting instruction. At the end of the two-year experience, they perform a Shakespeare play... in France, London, or another exotic locale. I feel incredibly lucky that I was introduced to all of the fantastic work that The 52nd Street Project does. They provide a vital service to kids who wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to experience theatre elsewhere, and watching them perform was incredible. If you want to get involved with The 52nd Street Project, a list of volunteer opportunities (everything from painting sets to helping with homework) can be found on their website, and they have new shows going up in a few months. I highly encourage everyone to go to their website, 52project. org, and see the fantastic things that this organization is doing.
News Russian Anti-Gay Bill Threatens LGBT Community
In late January of 2013, a proposed law was brought before the Russian Duma for consideration, similar to ones passed at a local level in various Russian provinces over the past several years. This law would criminalize the dissemination of “gay propaganda” to minors, which many fear will be interpreted to prevent public displays of affection between same-sex couples and demonstrations for gay rights. By Alyssa Nabors So what will it take for this bill to become a law? According to Russian Law Online, the legislative process is similar to that of the United States. First, it must be passed by both chambers of the the Parliament of the Russian Federation. The State Duma will have three hearings or “readings” of the bill, with the opportunity to modify the bill between readings. If approved by a two-thirds majority, it passes to the Council of Federation. If it is approved by more than half of the Council of Federation, it passes to the President for approval. How likely is it that this law will be passed by both chambers of Parliament and the President?
It is considered highly likely that this law will be passed. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but a study conducted by the Levada center in Moscow reported that two-thirds of Russians disapprove of homosexual lifestyles and favor actions taken to condemn them. What will happen if the law is passed? While some have expressed concerns about how this law could be interpreted to affect what sort of behavior and opinions can be expressed in public spaces, Russian nerdfighter Dasha said that the law “won’t change much. Nor [sic] the advertisements, commercials, news articles, or any other aspect of the media (since there isn’t much to constitute as gay propaganda anyway).” However, this legislation has already influenced Russia’s relations with other countries and provoked demonstrations from its own citizens. What action is the opposition taking? On the day of the first reading in the Duma, twenty individuals were detained by Russian police from groups both for and against the bill who had gathered near the State Duma to protest and counter-protest. Groups have gathered for demonstrations across the nation in an effort to voice their dissent. The conse-
quences of these outspoken acts range from minor fines for hooliganism to the risk of being fired. How will this law affect Russian nerdfighters? Dasha said “[I do not] expect this law to transform the general attitude. Which is almost always negative, that LGBTQ* people are somehow mentally ill / immoral / a danger to society / and so on... Such disdain permeates society. It would be impossible to change the general opinion by simply passing or not passing a law.” Perhaps the biggest concern for the Russian LGBT community is what will follow if this bill becomes a law. Success in this endeavor may encourage their opposition to attempt more extreme legislation against their lifestyle. Though advocacy groups have become more visible and vocal in recent years, the pervasive national opinion seems set against any positive developments for gay rights.
To hear first hand about how this law will impact Russian nerdfighters and participate in a group discussion, visit TomTopolev’s new thread in Our Pants at dft.ba/-4A-k
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News Jill Greczek took a moment to tell us about her work in the field of robotics. By Alyssa Nabors Jill Greczek is a grad student at the University In order to find out what the right signals are, of Southern California, and she robots for a living. we have to go see how people do it. PsychologiAs part of the Interaction Lab under Prof. Maja cal, sociological, and neuroscience literature have J. Matarić, she studies socially assistive robotlots of different models and theories about how ics, a subfield of human-robot interaction (HRI). people do things. We read those papers, and then Specifically, she studies nonwe try to turn those ideas into contact, rehabilitative interacnumbers that a computer can tion between a person and a understand. The thing about humanoid robot. Jill was able to people is, we can only be so acgive us a little time to talk about curately described by numbers. her work towards figuring out So, our robots do their best how humanoid robots are going based on the approximations to fit into our everyday lives in we create for them. If there the future. isn’t an answer, then we have to The Anglerfish: So, Jill, what create one. That’s basically what are you specifically researching? research is all about. Jill Greczek: My research TA: What misconception (due interests are in long-term health to pop culture or otherwise) behavior change. My vision is about your work would you most being able to send robots home like to correct? with people when they are diagJG: Real-life robots are not nosed with a chronic condition like robots on TV or in the movto help them incorporate often ies. Not even close! Robots are radical changes into just computers with their everyday lives. bodies, and they can I’m excited to be a part of a This idea was only be as smart as inspired by my own computers, which are such a young field, because I’ll diagnosis with Type only as smart as the be one of the people helping to 1 diabetes. When people who proyou go to the doctor grammed them...Rodefine it. one day and come bots can’t learn new Jill Greczek things, or generalize home and suddenly your entire life has skills, unless we tell changed, that’s hard. them how...There is a It’s not something you get used to in a week. And lot of potential, but it is limited by our own underit turns out, how you handle this sudden change standing of ourselves and the world we live in. within the first few months of diagnosis dictates TA: What’s your advice to aspiring roboticists? how active of a role you will take in managing JG: There are many aspects of robotics besides your condition going forward. I want to give human-robot interaction...There are so many everyone all the support they need in order to roboticists who do so many interesting things. The implement new changes in their lives and take best place to start is to do undergraduate recharge of their health care...I’m excited to be a search. Go find a professor that is doing research part of a such a young field, because I’ll be one of you are interested in and ask them to let you work the people helping to define it. in their lab. Everybody likes to talk about their TA: What’s the biggest challenge you face in research, so don’t be intimidated. Look for ways to your work? get funded for a summer research experience, like JG: The biggest challenge -- but also the most the CRA-W DREU - that’s what I did! The only way exciting aspect -- of my work is that there are so to find out if you like research is by doing it. many unknowns. Every aspect of an interaction between a person and humanoid robot has some If you’d like to learn more about the USC Interlevel of uncertainty. Because robots have bodies, action Lab: http://dft.ba/-USCInteraction especially when they have humanoid bodies, we expect them to act like us, because that is the If you’d like to learn more about the CRA-W only way we know how to understand someone DREU: http://dft.ba/-DREU else. Is our robot sending the right verbal and nonverbal signals to the person? Well, what are the right signals, anyway?
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Want To Learn To Robot?
By Lindsay Gossett
FIRST Robotics was founded by Dean Kaman in order to get young people involved with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). If you want to get involved with robotics, here’s how you can! If you or someone you know is in elementary school, specifically ages 6-9, they can be in a Junior FIRST LEGO League. They learn about robotics and engineering through the use of LEGOs and creating a model with those robots that is aimed towards accomplishing a goal. The intensity of these leagues depends on the maturity of the children involved, but it’s a lot of fun for everyone. For the 9-16 year olds, get involved in FIRST LEGO League! You’ll design, build, program, and test a robot made out of LEGO blocks, which is a great way to get started with learning a programming language and seeing how a design team actually works. There are two options for high schoolers - the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). In FTC, teams of up to 10 students can design, build, and program a robot using a variety of coding languages and reusing the same basic parts from year to year in order to achieve specific goals. In FRC, which I was a part of, students design, build, and code a obot from scratch in 6 weeks. To quote to FIRST website, “it’s as close to ‘real-world’ engineering as students can get.” People who are in college and who have graduated college, particularly people who study or work in engineering fields, can be mentors to any of the teams mentioned above. The mentors and volunteers help kids with everything from engineering and mechanics to scouting, writing awards essays, and managing budgets. Many community centers and schools have robotics programs you can join. To find out more about how you can get involved, go to www.usfirst.org.
Photo from Jill Greczek
She Robots (And So Can You!)
News Photos from Em Hiller (New York) and James Hochadel (Ohio)
Tips for Gathering Nerdfighters
By Thomas Nguyen
Nerdfighter gatherings are great places to make friends and have fun, but hosting one might be intimidating if you don’t know where or how to start. Over the past year, I’ve hosted a good number for the Nerdfighters of New York and I have learned a lot. Here are some of my tips for hosting a gathering. There isn’t a formula -- just try whatever sounds good & stick with what works.
1. Introduce yourself and have everyone do the same. I usually have everyone sit around in a big circle. Have everyone say their name and anything fun about themselves (Tumblr URL, YouTube channel, favorite John Green book, fandoms, favorite animal, etc.). 2. After the introductions, let everyone break off into groups and talk. This is where friends are made. Try to make sure that everyone has someone to talk to. It’s not fun when you’re shy and end up without a group. You can hop around and talk to everyone. 3. Create a gathering manifest. Pass around a piece of paper or a notebook and have everyone put whatever information they’d like to share. This can include Tumblr URLs, Facebook names, YouTube channels, etc. Make sure everyone knows that they don’t have to put any information they do not want to share. 4. Be respectful! You will most likely encounter non-nerdfighters in the area. Don’t bother anyone since you might be in a large group. After the Gathering
A Nerdfighters of New York gathering at Madison Square Park
Planning the Gathering A well planned gathering may require a little work, but is worth is in the end. 1. Pick a theme or set a goal for the gathering! It can be as broad as just hanging out or as specific as playing Apples to Apples. Having a theme will help boost the number of people who will attend and work as a way to make friends. Location, location, location. You don’t want try to fit forty people in a small bookstore. Open, outdoor spaces are probably your best bet. Check the weather so you won’t be trying to play games in a thunderstorm, and make sure that you won’t disturb the park or neighborhood. Some parks require that you have a permit before having a large gathering, so you should look into that beforehand.
1. Post the master list of everyone at the gathering. Post it to the nerdfighter groups and on your Tumblr with the gathering’s tag. Everyone will be dying to add each other on Facebook and follow each other on Tumblr. 2.
Host more gatherings!
Poof! That’s about everything I know about hosting gatherings. Now you can go out and host a gathering of your own. Don’t forget to be awesome!
2. Make the event public! You need to publicize your event somehow. One of the best ways is to make a Facebook event. Add a description and post it to your profile or your local Nerdfighter group. This will also help you gauge how many people will be coming. Providing your personal contact information is optional, but can prove to be very helpful for others when it comes to finding the meet-up. You can also assign a Tumblr tag for the gathering so pictures and things can be posted after the fact. 3. Pick the date that will work for the most people. You can’t work with everyone’s schedule, so pick whatever day that you feel would be the best. Facebook polls can help with this.
An Ohio Nerdfighter Gathering at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
The Actual Gathering! After all of your planning, it’s time to have the gathering. Someone will have to be loud if the gathering is large. You are going to need to inform everyone about the plans.
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News
The Impact of “Why is a Nerdfighter? (And So Can You!)”
By Sarah Mills “This made me feel guilty about being a Nerdfighter and I don’t like that.” “That makes me sad that there are Nerdfighters that are very close-minded.” “This video made me feel bad about how enthusiastic [/maybe obsessive a bit] I am about things.” What kind of video could inspire such comments? The answer: Benjamin Cook’s “Why is a Nerdfighter? (And So Can You!),” the fifth video in his “Becoming YouTube” series. This installment looked at “fandoms in general”, but cast Nerdfighteria under the microscope. With just over 100,000 views, this video has prompted great discussion on everything from the definition of a Nerdfighter to the dangers of a community that grows too large. This video teaches Nerdfighteria some valuable lessons and offers us all a chance to grow from the criticisms it places at our feet. Through interviews with several top UK YouTubers, Cook, or “ninebrassmonkeys” on Youtube, has seemingly uncovered some chinks in the shining armor of Nerdfighteria. The first to pierce the steel is sketch writer and animator Tom Ridgewell. “Oh my goodness,” he sighs, “they [Nerdfighters] are quite annoying because they’re really close-minded.” This kickstarts a series of comments on the presence of elitism within Nerdfighteria. Vlogger Ed Blann certainly does not beat around the bush when he says, “There is some elitism, and there is some impression that you have to have seen every single Vlogbrothers video, you have to be subscribed to everyone they talk about in their videos. You have to have bought all of the music on DFTBA … and if you don’t do that, then you’re not a Nerdfighter.” To some, it feels as though it has become an internet speakeasy; if you don’t know the pass-
word, the window is snapped shut. One of the personal misgivings Cook shares about online nerd culture is its celebration of social awkwardness, specifically those people who “wear their social awkwardness as a badge of honor.” He is uncertain as to whether social awkwardness is something to be celebrated. Opinion in the video is split as to whether Nerdfighteria and nerd culture glorify social awkwardness or help the socially awkward overcome their anxieties. Ridgewell believes that when “socially awkward people get encouraged they get really arrogant, and they’re really annoying, and there’s nothing I hate more than an arrogant nerd.” On the other hand, there are those such as vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher who stated that “I don’t think it’s a dangerous thing to celebrate because I feel like the more you celebrate it, the less it’s a problem.” So, is Nerdfighteria helping or hurting? Cook has a Nerdfighter character impart the following wisdom during a sketch within his video: “No one understands Nerdfighters except other Nerdfighters.” Nerdfighteria should be a community where no one feels the pressure of social anxiety, but how feasible is this welcoming, open community as Nerdfighteria grows larger and larger? As John Green says in a followup interview to “Why is a Nerdfighter?” with Cook, “As communities grow, they also tend to weaken.” It becomes more likely that there will be members of the community who will morph into the most hideous of internet creations: the troll. Cook puts it plainly by saying, “Some nerdfighters are dicks some of the time, and this is important. It’s important because, in order to empathize with our fellow humans, it helps to recognize that we all have the capacity to be dicks, and that we all have the capacity to be awesome, and we spend most of our time treading the line between the two clumsily.” When those interviewed by Cook were discussing the scary colossus that is Nerdfighteria, many commenters were quick to point
How feasible is this welcoming, open community as Nerdfighteria grows larger and larger?
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Images from youtube.com
Some Nerdfighters are Dicks…
News Images from youtube.com
out that it is this small minority of “dicks” that give any fandom a bad reputation. The Nerdfighter community is never going to be homogenous, especially as it grows in size. There may never be a consensus as to what makes a Nerdfighter a Nerdfighter, and that will inevitably lead people to do and say things in the name of Nerdfighteria that stray away from the core principle of ‘never forgetting to be awesome’. John Green adds that we must remember how new this identity is: “Identifying as a nerd or as a Nerdfighter is a very malleable identity because we’re still deciding what it means everyday together. To me, it’s a values-based identity” “Why is a Nerdfighter?” inspired me to test the strength of this values-based identity in the small corner of Nerdfighteria where I spend most of my time. I undertook an entirely unscientific study on the Nerdfighters of New York Facebook page, a group which has grown immensely in the last few years. I posted a “confession” in which I revealed my dislike 1. “Anatomy of a of anime and manga YouTuber” (two pillars of nerd culture). I am pleased 2. “Alex Day to report that no internet pitchforks were Naked” sharpened. Instead, I was met with doz3. “Everybody Hates ens of other “confessions”. Ignorance was YouTube” laid bare for a group of over 900 members, 4. “A Tale of Two and no one berated Gatherings” or chastised the confessors. Interestingly, 5. “Why is a there were several of relief Nerdfighter? (And So exclamations in the comment feed. People seemed reCan You!)” lieved to finally have a place where they 6. “A Conversation could get these things with John Green” off of their chests. The truth must therefore 7. “Girls on YouTube” be that, for some reason, they felt unable to share their true feelings until someone else -- myself in this case -- breached the subject. It seems that Nerdfighteria may not be a shining emerald city of acceptance all of the time. In the end, what Cook’s video has done is to force Nerdfighteria to turn a critical eye on its own values and actions, as well as how it is perceived from outside the community YouTube is a new frontier for community creation, and it is important to focus on all of the positive things that we as a group can do rather than get bogged down in the likes and dislikes that can so easily divide us. In the end, there is only one characteristic we must always remember: The only thing that a true Nerdfighter must do is remember to be awesome.
“Becoming YouTube” episodes so far:
Issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 31
Science Microorganisms
Life in the Sky
We found bacteria in the mid to upper troposphere (four to six miles above the surface of the Earth). Understanding how they got there and what they do there will have a huge effect on climate science and our understanding of how diseases spread. BY: Justin Swan In what is thought to be the first study of its kind, researchers have documented the presence of living microorganisms (principally bacteria) in a very unlikely place-the middle and upper troposphere. The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth’s atmosphere, starting at Earth’s surface and extending to four to twelve miles upwards depending on where you are). Live microorganisms have been found from four to six miles above the planet’s surface. Researchers aren’t yet certain whether these microorganisms generally inhabit this part of the atmosphere or whether they were just lifted from the surface. The findings are of great interest to many fields of science, namely atmospheric scientists, as these organisms could play a role in ice formation and thereby affect the weather and climate of various regions. The findings have also piqued the interest of bacteriologists, as long-distance transportation of bacteria would have a profound impact on current disease transmission models. These microorganisms were documented in air samples taken for NASA’s Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP) program, meant to study low and high altitude air masses generally associated with tropical storms. Samples
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were taken above land and ocean, during and after two major tropical hurricanes (Earl and Karl) in 2010. The research wasn’t published until January 28th in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers certainly didn’t expect this-Kostas Konstantinidis, an assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology said “We did not expect to find so many microorganisms in the troposphere, which is considered a difficult environment for life.” So, why should we care? To expand on my earlier statement, the “microorganisms could have a previously unidentified impact on cloud formation by supplementing or replacing the abiotic particles that normally serve as nuclei for forming ice crystals, says Athanasios Nenes, a professor at the Georgia Tech School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The microorganisms likely reach the troposphere through the same processes that launch dust and sea salt skyward-sea spray. Sea spray can easily carry bacteria because of the plethora of bacteria and other organic materials on the surface of the ocean. Further, a better understanding of how bacteria gets into the troposphere and where it travels will cause a drastic change in our understanding of how bacteria move, and lead to more accurate disease transmission models. And, of course, with better disease transmission models, we can protect against communicable bacterial infections and infirmities.
Science Star Trek
Tractor Beam Created
Star Trek’s Scotty Delighted BY: Justin Swan Scientists are one step closer to making the technology of Star Trek a reality. We’ve managed to build a “tractor beam” that uses light to attract objects. But don’t get too excited just yet -- it’s limited to moving microscopic particles. The research, led by Dr. Tomas Cizmar at the University of St. Andrews, notes that the tractor beam has medical applications by targeting and attracting individual cells. We can’t tow spaceships yet, but the medical applications should be more than sufficient to relieve you of any sadness. Cizmar said that “while the technique is very new, it has huge potential. The practical applications could be very great, very exciting. The tractor beam is very selective in the properties of the particles it acts on, so you could pick up specific particles in a mixture.”
This isn’t the first time science has emulated science fiction. In 2011, researchers from China proved that tractor beams were possible by utilizing laser beams of a specific shape, which NASA deemed significant enough to fund a study to research how the technique would help with manipulating stuff in space. Dr. Cizmar’s team took a new approach. As most high school physics students can tell you, when microscopic objects are hit by a beam of light, they are often forced in the direction of the beam by photons. Since the 1960s, scientists have hypothesized that using what is known as an “optical vortex” would be able to act as a tractor beam, but that would only work within gases. Dr. Cizmar’s technique manipulates the optical vortex to work in liquids -- and even in a vacuum. The technique is a only a few years away from becoming a mainstay in medicine, but it will never be used to attract more massive objects. As Dr. Cizmar noted, “unfortunately there is a transfer of energy. On a microscopic scale that is ok, but on a macro scale it would cause huge problems.” In layman’s terms, the larger the object is, the more energy is required to move it. This energy is transferred from the photons to the object being attracted. For microscopic particles and even individual cells, this doesn’t cause any damage. If one were to try to attract larger particles or objects, “it would result in a massive amount of heating of an object…so trapping a spaceship is out of the question.”
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Science
The Next Big Step in Information Storage The invention of holding and storing data changed the technological landscape of the world forever. The first hard disk was able to hold a measly five megabytes of data and was about as big as four twin mattresses. Now, flash drives with three thousand times that amount of storage can easily fit in a pocket. You can fit every Mountain Goats album, every episode of Adventure Time, and every John Green book in your hand. This kind of data storage has only been dreamed about in science fiction, but now it’s a reality. What’s next? DNA. By Thomas Nguyen DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and contains information for every organism on Earth. Scientists are beginning to use it as a medium for holding data. The information in our computers is coded in a series of ones and zeros called binary. Our DNA is coded with base pairs: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. Each of these molecules is represented with its initial letter and put in a sequence. This series of A’s, T’s, G’s, and C’s can be converted into ones and zeros. Scientists are able to utilize the internal coding of DNA to hold data as an external hard drive would. This method of data storage
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allows for the development of brand new archives and long lasting information that could be easily transported. We know we can do this with data and DNA, but how does it hold up to current technologies? First off, DNA could hold an astounding amount of information. One gram can theoretically hold as much data as one million CDs. This is not very surprising since our DNA currently holds 3.6 million years of the history of life on Earth. Secondly, data can be very accurately converted into DNA. Recently, scientists stored 739 kilobytes of audio and text using DNA. Some of the works they included were Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, and Watson and Crick’s paper on the double helix structure of DNA. The information was coded and decoded with almost no errors. As the method develops, the few errors will be fixed. Lastly, encoding data in DNA would allow for data to be kept for long amounts of time under the right conditions. The magnetic tapes and circuit boards in a lot of our technologies today break down over time. DNA can easily last thousands of years in
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a dark, dry, cool environment. In the future, there is the possibility that massive amounts of data can held within DNA sequences widespread. However, right now it’s still in the works. Even though this new technology seems great, DNA data storage does have its disadvantages. For data that is needed frequently and rapidly, a test tube full of DNA might not be the best idea because DNA needs time to be be synthesized. This new method of storage would be the best for archiving massive amounts of data for
One gram of DNA can hold as much data as one million CDs.
future reference. Another big issue is the cost. Current methods of encoding data and synthesizing DNA are very expensive: it costs over $12,000 to produce one megabyte of DNA. As it is being developed, the cost will naturally decrease due to faster and more effective methods to process the information, but that’s still a long way away. We may not be able to buy the entirety of human knowledge in a few test tubes any time soon, but the technology is being developed. As a civilization, we have come very far in producing technological advancements. Just fifty years ago, five megabytes of data took up the majority of a room. Now, we are looking into ourselves to store data in the very instructions that built us.
Image courtesy of biol.unt.edu
Data to DNA
Art & Literature Zombie Poem There is burning And it spreads And spreads And consumes me. Burning in my lungs In my eyes Veins In my heart. And then there is dark. Then there is moonlight streaming in through the windows. I am in my bed. My skin is stiff and pale. There is the sound of my children Watching t.v in the den. There is no more burning I am confused. And hungry. Very. Hungry. That is where the burning has gone. All the fire came together and formed a pit in my stomach It is agony. I open my mouth and call for help But all that comes out is a groan I try again. Another groan. I can hear my family responding to my noises And soon my little girl’s figure stands in the doorway. I’ve made a terrible mistake. The fire has a target, and it is her. My body wrenches out of bed. It staggers towards her and I’m afraid of why. I cannot stop. I yell that she should run But she is 9 And confused And all I can do is groan. Groan while I scream in my head. Run. Please. This autonomous body curls hands around her shoulders. Mom? Are you okay? Her brother appears behind her. I’ve given up trying to speak Anything besides awful noises is impossible. My daughter begins to pull away from me. I watch as my fingers dig into her skin I pull her toward me And bite off a chunk of her shoulder. I feel the warmth of her blood rushing over my hands. The texture of it mixing with the skin in my
mouth. I hear their screams. I feel when a lamp is bashed into my head And the body lunges for the one wielding it My son. He chases the body out of the house
I want them to run away. As the fire burns brighter When I grab the first boy And bite into his arm I want to die. I scream for help. Scream for the others to get away. Scream for someone to stop me.
I am on the porch Groaning helplessly. Screaming for help. I know my children are in there alone My daughter bleeding all over the floor. But the body has other plans. The fire is back. The stiff body clumsily shuffles down the street.
Blood and Skin and Muscle And heat There is a shout. I raise my head from the writhing child. The father is outside now Running towards me Gun aimed. There is a gunshot.
I want flesh And veins Delicate sinew Being ripped from bone. Children Playing in the yard. Three piles of flesh and blood Exposed and vulnerable And unwatched. I approach And they scream at the sight of me. I forgot about the blood. I want to sink my teeth into them And tear them apart limb by limb.
In a bloody hallway A little girl’s body begins to burn.
By: Amber Cortes
A Moment: A cliff top looking over Jagged rocks below Water slowly eroding The strong force of nature
An instant Sunlight glares down Grass still oblivious to world Cliff, flat surface a lonely face, without boy
Grass green and fertile, small hands of green waving On the cliff above Oblivious to the world around it, no ears to hear or eyes to see, the Sunlight glaring down, providing life
Rocks stained, blood red below Water eroding evidence away As the waves leisurely corrode The muscular force of nature
A boy, clenched fists, feet in the waving green hands Looking towards the distant horizon, full of lost dreams and hopes Tears dripping down a Browned face, sunlight burns Cliff, grass, sunlight, boy, rocks A movement caught by An unknown force, a sub-conscious Intelligence, watching the scene
But nature doesn’t Care, doesn’t identify The loss that came And went at the cliff A moment caught By a heavenly being Which always watches, and always Sees all.
By: Roman Penna issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 35
Art & Literature
Tuxedo (1829) I first saw Tuxedo in the costume store. There was something alarming about him right away. Not like the mannequin outside, the one I’d always found privately disturbing. Outwardly I would laugh when Jenny suggested that one day there would be a real man under that blue fabric, ready to jump out at passers by. He was covered in it from head to toe; it stretched over his mouth and eyes, giving the appearance of a plastic bag. When I was sure no one was looking, I would hurry past it, and check it was still there. Tuxedo was altogether different. It was hard to describe exactly. He felt...pent up. He had energy. Unmoving, but with fearsome potential. Looking at him, I felt like I was looking into the barrel of a gun, like I was staring up at a guillotine. “Found something you like?” Jenny said. We were there picking out costumes for a halloween party that evening. To tell the truth, she was more into it than I was, but I hadn’t seen her for twenty eight days, and longer than that for the others. I felt obliged to at least make an appearance, show my face. Jenny saw me fixated on Tuxedo, but he didn’t seem to affect her at all. “A tuxedo? I guess I could go as Sailor Moon, do you think I could carry it off? We’d need a cape for you though.” “No, not this one.” I wanted to get away badly. “Let’s look around more.” I retreated to the back of the store, tucked myself safely intoa corner from which I could not be seen. Jenny joined me in the aisle,and picked up the costume I stood next to. “Donkey costume? Could work. Bagsy front legs.” “Well it’s certainly one way to see everybody without actually having to talk to anyone, but I don’t much fancy a whole evening with my head up your arse.” She laughed at that, and when her eyes were closed, I stole a glance towards Tuxedo, making sure he hadn’t moved. I felt I should justify my retreat, and so I grabbed a costume at random. “Oh, good choice!” Jenny said. I’d picked up a pair of greek drama masks, a happy and a sad one. “Which do you want?” She looked at me evenly, and I could feel the test in her question. “I’ll take the sad one.” Her expression tightened. “That way, when I look at you, I’ll see the happy mask.” That did it. We made it to the till and paid for the masks. I figured they’d be enough to half ass our way through the party. I know she wanted something grander, but being the good friend she was, she didn’t push it. I even got choice of lunch, and ten minutes later we were sitting at an outdoor table of a plaza café. That’s where I saw him for the second time. He was on the opposite side of the plaza, but there was no mistaking him. He stood out visually, but it was his invisible force that struck me most. I held the card menu up and hid behind it while pretending to focus on my selection. I think Jenny knew something was up, and she asked if everything was OK. I said I was just shading myself, and I complained that the afternoon light was dazzling. She reminded me that the sunlight was good for me, for my mood. “I know that, everyone tells me that,” I did not say. I made it through the meal concealed behind the menu. When we’d finished, I set the card down with a measure of dread, but Tuxedo was no longer there. We went back to mine and tried on some outfits. My entire wardrobe was full of clean and pressed clothes, but I had to pick something with long sleeves, which didn’t leave much to choose from. When we were both ready, we donned our masks and made the short walk to the party. “You made it!” The painted jester was plainly happy to see us, but
behind the layers, I couldn’t place her. “Hi,” I said, smiling cautiously. “I haven’t seen you for weeks, where’ve you been?” “Oh, here and there,” I lied. “Can I get you a drink?” It was a question I should have expected, but I had no answer, and stood there croaking, waiting for words to form. Jenny came to my rescue. “She can’t really. Her sleep medicine, can’t mix it.” “Oh, that’s a shame,” the jester said. I shrugged. “Yeah, hopefully my sleep will straighten out soon. It’s a real drag.” “Well no worries, I can get you a lemonade or something.” “Perfect, thanks!” The jester jingled away, and I turned to Jenny. “Thanks.” Jenny winked, but the mask hid her eyes, so she compensated with an exaggarated twist. We made our way into the other rooms, passing people in varying levels of costume. Jenny spotted the architect she’d been talking about, dressed as an unconvincing Fat Elvis. She looked at me, and I nodded permission for her to go. “Sure you’ll be alright?” “Yeah, I’m going to see who’s come as Oscar the Grouch.” She squeezed my arm and bounced away. I sidled up to a group of Sesame Street characters. They’d come together and co-ordinated their dress, but they opened up the circle for me, and I quietly integrated myself. I kept the subject away from myself by talking about them, which is surprisingly easy to do. All was going well, and I’d just started tobelieve that I could be alright after all when I saw him again. Tuxedo. Across the room from me, holding a fluted glass of clear fluid. Too far to identify, apart from any particular group, and staring. It was as intese as it had been in the plaza and the shop. I couldn’t breathe. Against advice and my own better judgement, I fled to the bathroom. It took me a moment to work up the courage to look into the mirror, but there were no cracks in my vision, and the sound of the extractor fan remained just that, a mechanical whirr. I heard Jenny through the door, asking if I was alright. When I’d calmed down enough I flushed the toilet and washed my hands. I emerged back into the press of the party and reassured Jenny that possible side effects included nausea, diarrhoea and drowsiness. She seemed reassured. “Listen, I’m going to go home,” I said. “Already? It’s only eleven.” “Yeah, I’m pretty tired. It was fun, I’m glad you brought me out.” “Want me to walk you home?” “No no, you should stay, make sure the aliens don’t take Elvis.” We hugged and I left. Leaving was a guilty pleasure, shutting the door behind me and confining the jumbled noise to a muffled rumble. The sky was clear and the air was crisp. I strode through the chill to keep warm, and my shoes clopped on the stones. Maybe it’s just me, but I look down when I walk. I watch my shadow sneak ahead then fade away, over and over. It can be a private thrill but it’s scary sometimes. If someone is walking behind you, it’s unnerving - it looks like they’re catching up, chasing you, and they can appear without warning. After a few streets, the strain of each lamppost took form. I looked around each time I passed one, but I was, as always, alone. In the low light, car seats were starting to look like people, so I squinted to obscure them. The last streets were agonising, and I jogged until I reached the door. By then my hands were shaking, and
I stole a glance towards Tuxedo, making sure he hadn’t moved.
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Art & Literature
getting my keys out took far too long. In, turn, push, step, pull turn, shove, slam, slump. Home. I caught my breath, then got up and hit the lights. I shut the blinds and smacked the kettle, then turned it back off again. What a day. It had been OK, all things considered. I’d seen people, gone out, only minor panics, and I got home by myself. I was coping. Tomorrow would be another day, and I would cope with that too. The thought was a little dreadful, and I settled with just getting to bed and forgetting about positive visualisation for the time being. I’d settled down into bed when I heard the kettle. I thought I’d decided against a tea, but I could hear it boiling up, so I got out of bed and hit my bedside lamp. It didn’t turn on. I paced over to the wall switch instead, but that didn’t work either. I wondered if the breaker had been tripped. Somehow I could see my way in the low light, and I walked to the kitchen. I turn the corner. I’m in the ward corridor. The peach linoleum reflects a hazy immitation of the strip lights above. Following the lines of their convergence, I see the ward goes on forever, meeting at a point. The lines shift. The point is near, and I am far. The point isn’t the hallway retreating, it is a dagger, aimed at my eye. I turn to run, but the geometry brings me closer. I stop in my tracks, and advance instead. The point disappears, and insteadTuxedo. I can’t move. My limbs are numb, I can barely move my jaw, it feels like gravity, a ball of lead tearing through my chest and out my throat. His lips move. He says something, but there’s no sound. He turns away. I wake up. I’m in my bed now, and I’m freezing. I’m controlling my breathing, doing the exercise Doctor Kaimo said I should do when I felt panicked. I feel panicked. My medicine is supposed to suppress dreaming, among other things. The blanket makes me no warmer with all this sweat, so I get up. I drain the rest of the water from my bedside glass and hit the light. It dazzles me, but light is preferable. I decide tonight I will stay up, against the wishes of my support team. There’s no chance of me sleeping now. I go to the kitchen, pour a drink. Just water, I know better than to deviate, especially now. When will this stop? When will I be OK again? I’m still cold. It isn’t just the sweat, the whole room is cold. My breath is condensing now, just a little. I get up and I follow the chill. I shut the door before I went to bed. I know I did.
All the Things What I have watched, in all these days what is held in nature’s sway climbing walls ancient bridges tow’ring halls grassy ridges here I stand above the peak silent surveying another rainy streak
climb the tower to the stream watch the water see the dream Wait and watch it see me there halfway down the secret stair lost again I can’t find home gone and flying up in the dome up the ladder down the stairs out o’ the tower
which no man dares free in the wind a likely star home again back from afar watch the skies climb the wall I’ll be here you needn’t fall
By: Autumn Hathel
On Dissecting a Nerdfighter Nerd is the constant weight of a book in your bag, pocket, hand. Nerd is X (falling in love with) Y, and knowing nothing cannot divide them. Nerd is a flash of blue making your heart stop and your feet race. Nerd is seeing your soul drawn in swirling galaxy constellations. Nerd is a million minds melding over an emphatic Always. Nerd is keystroke bestfriends sharing the same place a million paces apart. Nerd is watching a sunrise over the lip of a camera. Nerd is the great sigh when shutting the book. Nerd is understanding that sometimes elves have to go in caves, dwarves have to ride horses, but courage will not fail this day. Nerd is facing giants cause someone faced them for you. Nerd is the life you choose to build around you. Awesome is the world you choose to build around others.
By: Carissa Mahorney
Submit your writing to us at theanglerfishmagazine@gmail. com! It doesn’t have to be NerdFighter related share what you want to share. Have you submitted something and it’s not in the Anglerfish? Don’t worry we’re probably saving it for a future issue. issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 37
Art & Literature
“Nerdfighter” by Daniel F.
“The Fault In Our Stars” By Christina Gutierrez Her imagined cover for TFiOS. A broken, cracked, and faulty star. TFiOS will make you feel broken, cracked, faulty, and leaving you to cry for hours. Then make you come back all over again.
“Intent” by Eddie Long
“Spurned” by Eddie Long
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Art & Literature
“One Right Winger Cylon” By Eddie Long Inspired by Hank Green’s Political Anagram Video.
“Euba” by Eddie Long
“Speaking Out” by Kimberly Armstrong Kim is a student, amateur screenwriter, and gnomish alchemist
“A Story of Aftermath” by Eddie Long
issue 3 February 2013 | The Anglerfish 39
Catch These Fish in Their Natural Habitats! Editor-In-Chief Brandon – areasontowritehome.tumblr.com @areasontowrite Community Director Becca – youcant-takethe-sky-fromme.tumblr.com News Editor Lindsay – feuillesdepapier.tumblr.com Entertainment Editor Jason – crimsong19.tumblr.com @crimsong19 Graphics Director Kat – coroflot.com/kat3taylor @kattaylordesign Graphics Team Dave – facebook.com/davepantoja.design Graphics Team Eefje – eefjes.wordpress.com @EefjeS Ifoundabookmark.workpress.com Graphics Team Rosie – justrosiestorm.tumblr.com Entertainment Writer Sasha – youtube.com/GeekGuruChannel Science Writer Thomas – scienceing.tumblr.com @thomsight Science Writer Justin – facebook.com/justin.swan.73 Entertainment Writer Eric – ricksrealmofultimatenerdiness.tumblr.com Staff Writer Meredith – ordinarymer.com @McMer314 Staff Writer Sarah - youtube.com/goaliegal3 @beatlesgirl31 Staff Writer Elsa – filfaerie.tumblr.com Staff Writer Alyssa - blarghlargh.tumblr.com